Space Race Frenzy: Starlink Soars, New Missions Ignite & Solar Storms Flicker (July 17-18, 2025)
NASA set July 2025 for the TRACERS magnetosphere mission and NISAR Earth-observation satellite launches, both with international partners. SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites July 18, raising its in-orbit fleet to about 7,900, and flew Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites July 15. China’s Tianzhou-9 docked with Tiangong July 14. The EU advanced a Space Act for satellite oversight.