Top Stories
Isar Aerospace Reaches Orbit from Norway, a First for European Commercial Launch
Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket successfully launched from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway on Saturday at 20:12 UTC, reaching low-Earth orbit seven minutes later. This 28-meter, two-stage vehicle is the first fully commercial orbital rocket developed and launched in Europe. Founded in 2018 by three Technical University of Munich students, Isar Aerospace is now at the forefront of a wave of European launch startups aiming to reduce reliance on institutional rockets like Ariane and Vega. Notably, this new European launcher opens up a high-inclination corridor for commercial traffic above the Arctic Circle.
Read the full story at Ars Technica.
NASA Adds New 34-Meter Dish to the Deep Space Network at Goldstone
NASA is expanding its Deep Space Network (DSN) with a new large antenna at the Goldstone complex in California’s Mojave Desert. This addition addresses the increasing demand from a growing number of deep-space missions that depend on the DSN for telemetry, tracking, and command. The DSN’s three ground stations are the only facilities capable of communication with spacecraft beyond Earth orbit, and the new dish will help alleviate scheduling strain.
Read the full story at Space.com.
SpaceX Launches Starlink Group 15-24, Lands Booster on Droneship
A Falcon 9 rocket successfully flew 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on September 6, with the first stage landing on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Atlantic. This flight contributes to the Group 15 shell of the Starlink constellation.
Read the full story at Space.com.
Satellite of the Day
ICEYE-X4 – An 80 kg Finnish SAR microsatellite launched in 2019. It orbits at approximately 480 km and has been delivering radar imagery after seven years in service. Read the full feature or track ICEYE-X4 live.
By the Numbers
- Active satellites tracked: 15,931
- Cataloged debris objects: 14,948
- New objects cataloged yesterday: 0
- Orbital launches this year: 212 (205 successful)
- Next launch: Long March 2D/YZ-3 | Unknown Payload in about 48 hours (Sep 9, 09:00 UTC)
Catalog Watch
Space-Track cataloged 0 new objects in its latest daily accounting (2026-09-06), with 29,317 updated element sets.
Reentry Watch
Upcoming Space Launches
Schedule Changes
- Newly added: Rocket Lab HASTE | Leidos-4, scheduled for Dec 31, 00:00 UTC.
- Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-24 moved from Sep 6, 14:26 UTC to Sep 6, 14:26 UTC.
- Status change: Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-24 is now “Launch Successful”.
Next 48 Hours
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 2D/YZ-3 – Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (Sep 9, 09:00 UTC). Details TBD.
See every upcoming mission on the live schedule.
Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.
