Space Race Heats Up: Russia’s 21-Satellite Launch, Amazon’s $140 M Bet, and a New Artemis Ally
On July 25 at 1:54 a.m. ET, a Soyuz-2.1b from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome lofted 21 satellites into orbit, including two Ionosfera-M space weather satellites, Iran’s Nahid-2, and 18 rideshares. The four Ionosfera-M satellites will provide three-dimensional near-Earth space coverage to study solar wind effects on radio communications and satellites, with the first two launched in late 2024. Amazon announced a $139.5 million investment to accelerate Project Kuiper, including a new 100,000-square-foot payload processing facility at Kennedy Space Center that opened in April. Senegal joined the Artemis Accords on July 24, becoming the 56th signatory to commit to peaceful, transparent space
